Leaving home for university

If you are planning to leave home and go to university this September there are a number of things you might like to take into consideration before packing your bags and waving goodbye for the next few months.

Here are my Top 5 tips:

Know the demands of your course. It might seem pretty obvious but read the prospectus carefully and understand what research or reading you might need to do beforehand. It is also critical that you are going to be able to work and think independently in order to take effective notes, participate in seminar discussion, do library based research, reading and digesting long form text, work to deadlines and juggle heavy workloads that kick in before you know it. You will find yourself having a number of assignments on the go at the same time. and you have to be able to deal with it.

Get your accommodation sorted. Halls of Residence is usually the recommended option for Freshers. It gives you a sense of community, a degree of safety, you’re with people in the same position as you are, people thrown together can help each other. However, remember that sadly not everyone is an angel. We have to be on our guard too. The alternative is to share a house or flat. This gives you more choice of who you live with and even more independence and autonomy to do as you please. However, I wouldn’t recommend living alone. You need people for company and to talk about things when you first leave home.

Student deals. For money conscious students you can check out deals on a number of sites that cover uni essentials, eating out, clothing, travel, insurance, finance etc.

General household and kitchen essentials. Don’t forget to buy crockery, cutlery, towels and bedding etc. You don’t want to have to rush out any buy them when you first get there! Best to do that with mum and dad or a bunch of friends before you go. That makes it a nice way to include your nearest and dearest in a new chapter in your life. Plus when unpacking it helps you to feel at home and create a relaxed atmosphere.

Common sense – it should rule every part of your life and can keep you out of a lot of trouble – safety wise, health wise and relationship wise. Perhaps surprisingly, a lot of people can lack in this area – even the most academically minded person. Things like not opening bills, not switching off appliances in the home before going out, leaving bank account details lying around for anyone to see etc. The list could go on! So, protect yourself people with a bit of self-awareness and the common sense will start to happen!